By: Sandra Vo, Staff Writer
Those familiar with the K-drama scene will know instantly what the phrase “Second Male Lead Syndrome” entails. But for those who aren’t K-drama connoisseurs, Second Male Lead Syndrome refers to when the female lead is stuck in a love triangle with two male leads, and the viewer ends up rooting for the second male lead (the guy does not get the girl).
It’s a painful and heartbreaking experience, for both the viewer and the second male lead. So why is it such a popular trope in so many K-dramas?
Well, it could be because having not just one, but two men serving as eye candy for the audience is naturally going to draw in viewers. And with how attractive both these male leads always seem to be, there’s not much evidence to discredit that theory.
Sometimes however, the presence of two men caught up in a love rivalry is supposed to further the character development of the female lead. Take for example, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and Strong Girl Bong-soon. Both of these shows aim to prove that although our first loves may remain an integral part of your developing years, it’s letting go of them that allows us to grow as a person. The second male leads in these shows are the first love that people must learn to cherish as merely a fond memory.
Yet, My First First Love and Romance is a Bonus Book are dramas where the female lead and her first love do end up getting together, in a grand and romantic notion that no matter where life takes them, they will always find each other again. That means that we can’t box the second male lead into a single category, especially since they encompass a variety of different personalities and tropes.
What makes the viewer root for the second male lead over the main male lead though? In Start-Up, the second male lead was richer, better-established, and had a higher status than the main male lead. In Bride of Habaek, the second male lead had a tragic backstory that moved the hearts of viewers. In Cheese in the Trap, the second male lead just happened to not be a sociopath (unlike the main male lead).
Maybe Second Male Lead Syndrome appears just for the drama. These are K-dramas after all. But regardless of the reason, we can all acknowledge that the extra eye candy and the pain are part of the reason we watch these K-dramas in the first place.
And if the second male lead doesn’t get the girl...well, that’s what fanfiction is for.